Kathleen Amos, MLIS, Director, Academic/Practice Linkages, Public Health Foundation
With the release of the 2021 Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies), the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages) is turning its attention to resources and tools to support organizations in transitioning to and implementing the revised Core Competencies. Your input on what might be most valuable will help guide this process.
The Council on Linkages has long recognized that it is not enough to develop a competency set and that a variety of resources and tools are critical for putting those competencies into use. As work begins on these resources and tools, the Council on Linkages is focusing on three main areas:
- Developing resources and tools to help with the transition from the 2014 Core Competencies to the 2021 version. These resources and tools are developed every time there is a new version of the Core Competencies to help illustrate how the versions relate to each other.
- Updating existing resources and tools that support use of the Core Competencies to reflect the changes that have been made in the 2021 version. A variety of resources and tools related to the Core Competencies are widely used, but may need updates to continue to be applicable to the 2021 Core Competencies.
- Developing additional resources and tools that support use based on feedback from the public health and population health community and other needs identified. A number of suggestions for new resources and tools were made during the revision of the Core Competencies, and additional input is welcome at any time.
Development and updating of these resources and tools have started with creating a crosswalk showing how the specific statements within the 2014 and 2021 Core Competencies relate to each other and updating the existing competency assessments. Both of these efforts are currently underway and are anticipated to be completed early in the new year.
As we continue planning for new and revised resources and tools, what should we work on next? Suggestions so far have included:
- A brief video or slides introducing the 2021 Core Competencies
- Different types of competency assessment tools
- Crosswalks or other guidance for using the Core Competencies with the 10 Essential Public Health Services, Strategic Skills for the Governmental Public Health Workforce, and PHWINS
- Tailored lists of priority competencies for different jobs
- Examples of how organizations are using the Core Competencies
Do any of these ideas resonate with you? What other resources and tools would help you and your organization use the Core Competencies? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below or by emailing
competencies@phf.org. We look forward to hearing from you!